IS Nine Ball
by BountyRook
Summary: When the IS was revealed the Alaska Treaty was made to prevent its overwhelming power from causing an unfair advantage in the world. However there is one IS suit that is in violation of it and a pilot who's a male and with a bounty on his head for owning that IS and some acts of his. To get everyone off his back he enrolls in the IS Academy with his IS known as Nine Ball.
1. Chapter 1

**IS: Nine Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core or Infinite Stratos.**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

><p>The IS aka The Infinite Stratos. A machine that has caused a lot of chaos in the world since its unveiling to the world by the eccentric creator Tabane Shinonono. For some unknown reason the IS can only be piloted by the female gender and thanks to that it caused a huge power play in the world and formed a new form of status quot. Thanks to this a slew of incidents occurred much later.<p>

First was the creation of the Alaska Treaty to prevent the mass production of IS especially as a weapon of war. Many countries had signed the treaty and agreed to abide by it with the exception of a few countries that didn't like the IS at all. Next was the White Knight incident when several warheads were launched at Japan. The warheads were destroyed by a woman in the IS suit known as the White Knight and after saving Japan she vanished. Finally there was the Nine Ball Massacre, an event that had caused a huge uproar in the societal norm of the world.

This grim event involved the mass killing of a group of terrorists from the group known as Phantom Task who had been causing trouble in the world. Not only did this reinforce the importance of the Alaska Treaty it also opened a can of worms. The IS was a red and black colored death machine with an emblem showing the number 9 on it that went by the name "Nine Ball". It had advanced technology and weaponry that surpassed what the IS had altogether. But the real kicker was that the pilot of that deadly IS suit was a male!

Thanks to the actions of the Nine Ball and its pilot many countries were pointing fingers at each other because there was an IS out there that went against the Alaska Treaty. Many nations also attempted to seek out the pilot and his IS because of the fact that he was a male who could pilot an IS and also because his machine was in violation of the Alaska Treaty, but he and the IS went off the grid and were not seen for a while. Until now...

**...**

**Arena 6, IS Academy**

A certain individual sat at an unoccupied seat in the stadium further away from the crowd while utilizing tactical camouflage to stay invisible. The person in question had their own reason why they did not want to be seen and now they were watching the battle going on between two IS pilots. One is a rather short girl, who looked to be of Chinese descent and had green eyes, brown hair tied to both the left and right side of her head and wore a pink one-piece swimsuit? Seriously? Her IS was pink and black covering her hands, legs, chest and back, the wing parts were separate from her body and had orange stripes flowing through it. Her weapon of choice were two large blades made of a very strong metal. Her opponent is a boy with blue hair and brown eyes, wearing a skin-tight suit that parted in the middle and continued down that matched his hair and his IS was white and also covering his arms, legs, and chest and the wings protruding from his back. His weapon was a glowing blue sword.

_**"The girl is Lingyin Huang, IS representative for China and she pilots the IS Shenlong." **_said an robotic voice to the spectator.

"And a little brat to boot." replied the person with distaste. "And the boy, Seraph?"

_**"Ichika Orimura, brother of Chifuyu Orimura and the only male IS pilot in the world, well apart from you." **_ The AI known as Seraph replied.

"So he's her sister..." The male spectator said with an insane grin on his face, "That makes things interesting..."

_**"Warning! Enemy approaching at high speeds! Partner, it's a rogue IS." **_Seraph warned.

Before the person could say anything the barrier of the dome got destroyed by a high powered laser beam. As a result pandemonium ensued and immediately emergency protocols were in play as metal barriers covered the spectator stands to protect them. Then in came the intruder which was a black and yellow IS that began to engage the two IS pilots outside.

_**"Partner, you're not going to help?" **_Seraph asked its owner.

"Why should I? I'm only here to observe for now. Besides let's not forget that we're the world's most wanted targets." The man replied.

_**"Point taken. But what if it gets too much for them?"**_

"If it comes down to that then I'll act. So what's with the rogue IS?"

_**"It seems to have been programmed to come here and attack. Also it has hacked into the systems in the dome, trapping the students and preventing backup from approaching."**_

"Was it programmed by the assholes?"

_**"No, the terrorists had nothing to do with this. It was done by someone else and that person has been able to cover their tracks. Is it possible that..."**_

"I was thinking the same thing, Seraph. It's all pointing towards who I'm already suspecting. Anyways Seraph, override the hack. I have a feeling that we'll be making another appearance soon."

_**"Already on it partner." **_

While the AI went to work, its partner watched as the fight kept going on to a point until another unexpected event occurred, a female student showed up at the IS launch platform in the middle of the fight.

"Are you done yet Seraph? Situation's about to escalate."

_**"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm done partner! Overriding that AI's hack was too easy!"**_

"Good! Time to make our appearance."

The Tactical Cloak disabled as the individual deployed his IS and was concealed in a bright light. After the light subsided the individual was now in his IS and he charged into the battle.

**...**

"ICHIKA!... If you're a man… if you're a man you'd better defeat the enemy completely!" Houki shouted out.

This move attracted the unknown IS's attention, and it aimed its arms at her, about to fire. Well it would have fired if not for the overwhelming firepower consisting of grenade rounds, vertical missiles and pulse rifle bursts. The IS' shields didn't stand a chance and the rogue IS was obliterated in seconds leaving nothing but a crater and a lot of smoke.

The three students in the arena and the people watching through the camera were completely astonished, first, an unknown IS had attacked the students during a match, then from out of nowhere the IS that Ichika and Rin were unable to defeat was obliterated in less than three seconds by overwhelming firepower that surprised them all. When the smoke cleared all, everyone looked and had their eyes widened at the sight of another IS they'd never seen before.

A red and black IS that covered most of the pilot like a full body armor, with an intimidating helmet covering the pilot's face. It had large wing like binders on its shoulders, the arms and legs were longer making it taller than a normal IS, large thrusters on its back that were capable of unfolding which doubled as missile launchers, a grenade launcher on its back left beside the thruster. One the arms were both compartments for another weapon and in the right hand a Pulse Rifle. The most distinguishing feature was the emblem on its shoulder, a solid black circle with a golden-amber **9** imposed over it. That got the attention of a certain person who was in the control room in the arena.

_'Oh kami! It can't be! Of all the IS to show up it had to be it!' _Chifuyu Orimura thought in panic as she saw what was the most wanted IS in the world and its pilot who had caused enough chaos in the world. Immediately she contacted Ichika and Rin to make contact with the IS pilot and stall it.

Maya Yamada noticed the look of panic on her colleague's face and asked, "Miss Orimura, is something wrong?"

"Yes something is wrong! That IS is one that has gained a lot of notoriety due to the incident known as The Nine Ball Massacre." Chifuyu answered.

"N-n-nine Ball M-m-massacre?!" Maya stuttered.

"Yes. It happened after the second Mondo Grusso. A group of terrorists were slaughtered like cattle by a lone pilot in a red and black IS like the one right there. The real kicker was that the pilot of the IS revealed themselves as a male."

"Meaning that there was another male that could pilot an IS?"

"Yes but what was worse was that it caused nations to point fingers at each other because of the carnage it caused and further reinforced the need for the Alaska Treaty, and now the UN had declared him as the world's most wanted man in the world and a huge bounty for his IS."

"Miss Orimura what's the name of the IS?"

"Nine Ball."

"What! You mean to tell me that the most wanted IS in the world is here in our school?!"

"Yes that IS down there is Nine Ball and the pilot is a male with a target on his back."

Now Maya was very worried. Their students were out there with a very dangerous IS and an equally dangerous pilot.

"But Ichika and Huang are down there with that person! There's no way they can handle someone like that!" Maya shouted in panic.

"I know which is why I ordered them to stall him until the teachers and Alcott show up." Chifuyu replied in a professional tone though she was very worried about her decision. She hoped that her two students outside would keep Nine Ball occupied long enough for the backup to arrive.

**...**

Back outside, Ichika and Rin were on the ground in their IS and staring at the red and black IS in front of them that was much taller than them and the armor and color scheme made it look very intimidating. After receiving their orders from their superior officer to make contact and stall him, Ichika made the first move and came forward to communicate with the pilot.

"Uh… do you understand me..?" Ichika asked.

Nine Ball's pilot contemplated answering the boy since he knew it could give them a clue to who he was but he also knew that he could prove that he wasn't hostile by talking.

_**"Partner. Whatever you have to say make it brief. I detect multiple signatures on their way. It seems that those two are stalling you for the moment." **_Seraph informed the pilot privately.

_"Yes I've been aware of that since I made myself known to them. Looks like someone recognized me." The pilot replied._

"Yes, I understand you Ichika Orimura and you're welcome." The Nine Ball pilot replied. That surprised the two pilots and those watching.

"H-how do you know my name?" Ichika asked.

"The news, duh!" The pilot replied, "You're all over it kid."

Then Ling stepped in. "Who are you? Identify yourself!"

"Like you have any right to demand my name brat. Besides I know that you're just stalling me and unfortunately I'm not in the mood to play anymore."

_"Leaving so soon?" _said Chifuyu Orimura through the arena speakers.

"Yes I am, Chifuyu Orimura. That scrap metal over there wasn't even good enough for a warm up so I'm leaving." The pilot replied.

_"I'm sorry but you and Nine Ball are going nowhere!"_

"Sorry to burst your bubble but you have no right to order me around." The pilot replied coldly. He then looked and saw the staff as well as Cecilia arrive on scene in their IS suits with weapons pointed at him.

_"You forget that you're a wanted criminal and that you're IS is in violation of the Alaska Treaty." _Chifuyu said, _"You're surrounded. Surrender now and we will end this without incident."_

"How about I say "Screw you" and leave this place with or without bloodshed?" The pilot mocked, "Your call."

"Hey! Do you even have any idea at all who you're messing with?" Rin yelled.

"Nope and honestly I don't give a shit if I even knew. So adieu to you all."

Nine Ball suddenly took to the air and flew out of the arena at a speed they couldn't comprehend and was out of their view before they could even react. Everyone had their mouths gaping.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 End.<strong>

**Yes The notorious Nine Ball is here and is more of an IS/AC hybrid as it has a standby mode and shield like the IS and the destructive power, design and insane boosters of the AC. The Nine Ball design used here is the one that is in the PS3 game Another Century's Episode R except with mostly the weaponry of Nine Ball Seraph of Armored Core: Master of Arena/Armored Core 2: Another Age.**

**Seraph is also the name of the AI of the Nine Ball IS/AC hybrid. As for the pilot he'll be revealed soon and also what he really did to earn his notoriety. **

**One more thing do you want the pilot of the Nine Ball to enroll at the IS academy or stay independent? Leave your ideas out for me.**

**Until then read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**IS Nine Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core or Infinite Stratos.**

**AN: Before I begin I'll answer a question from KH-Hardcorefan4483 in his review after the last chapter: Yes the Nine Ball AC/IS will have the chest laser like the ACE: R counterpart but with the cost of some of its shield as a drawback. As for the orbital cannon? I'm still on the fence about that because I don't want Nine Ball to be way too powerful because he can easily slaughter every IS pilot even certain Phantom Task pilots but then Nine Ball has always been an overpowered SOB to begin with so I digress. **

**Chapter 2**

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><p><strong>Undisclosed Location<strong>

"You want me to enroll in the IS Academy? Are you fucking insane?"

_**"No I am not partner. Aren't you tired of being hunted down by the other countries and the UN? Besides at the academy they won't be able to touch you for three years. Also you dropped out of high school after that fallout, even if you are a genius you still need basic education." **_Seraph relied to his human partner.

The pilot sighed in frustration. Seraph was correct. As long as he was a student at the IS Academy no one could chase after him or hound him for Nine Ball but after three years he was free game once again. Also the AI was right about his need to get educated in the basics, even if he was a natural born genius but he wouldn't have been in this mess if not for certain _ass hats _he knew.

"You know the only reason why I even dropped out was because I couldn't stand those ass hats back then. Let's not forget that they are part of the those greedy bastards out there that want Nine Ball and one of them is a member of staff at the fucking academy."

_**"I know that partner. You told me about your history which you know I could care less about. Besides you can use this chance to prove that you can be just as good if not better than a woman in an IS." **_

"Didn't Ichika Orimura already prove that when they found out he could pilot an IS?"

_**"He only messed up the status quot of the world. You however have proven that a man can use an IS just as good or even better than the women. Didn't that massacre all those years ago prove that?"**_

"Yeah, yeah I get your point...You know what? Fine I'll go but if anyone messes with me then they're dead."

_**"That's your decision though I'd advise against it. You're already in hot water as it is and you wouldn't need any more heat on you."**_

"Fine..."

**...**

**IS Academy, The Next Day**

_'I so hate you right now Seraph!'_

As soon as he had entered the IS academy campus he had many female eyes on him...ogling him like he's a delicious piece of meat. And it was making him very uncomfortable...

The girls were looking at what they'd call a bishonen with his red hair that looks like blood, black and red eyes that looked like obsidian and ruby and an athletic body.

Nervously the boy waved at them which he was about to regret.

"KYAAA! He waved at us!" The girls screamed with hearts in their eyes.

_'Yes Seraph! I really, really hate you right now!' _The young man thought. He definitely did not want to be in the presence of these girls, ready to pounce on him like predators. _'Exit stage left!'_

**...**

"Hello, I'm Dominick Santos, I'd like to say that I'm pleased to meet you all but that remains to be seen." Dominick greeted the class as politely as he could, though inside he wanted to be nowhere near anyone in this class, especially the crazy girls looking at him right now. He wore the same uniform the male IS students wore but he had on a black and red trench coat over it and on his neck was a necklace with a cross hanging on it.

Chifuyu Orimura, the teacher of the class, thought she was seeing a ghost from the past. She knew who this young man really was. His real name was Shin Kusanagi, and he was the younger brother of one of her good friends Yami Kusanagi, an IS pilot whose skills was on par with her and now a teacher of another class in the IS academy. She knew about the fallout that happened in Yami's family after the reveal of the IS and how the brother violently broke away from the family and was never seen for a decade. Now he's back and as a student in the IS academy and also the third male able to pilot an IS with Charles Dunois and Ichika Orimura being the other two males.

Dominick turned his attention to the two other males in the classroom. _'Ichika Orimura. 'Charles' Dunois? Nice try but you're not fooling me with that get up.' _he thought as he went to take his seat beside 'Charles'.

After homeroom was over, Chifuyu informed the students to suit up as there were going out for practical training. She told Ichika to show Dominick and Charles to the males' locker room. As they left the classroom Dominick hid the frown on his face as he noticed his teacher's suspicious gaze.

**...**

In the practice stadium all the students lined up in different rows in their 'suits'. Santos' was a red full body suit that covered most of his body except his head and hands and also showed off his athletic body to the girls who were eyeing him hungrily, much to his annoyance.

"Is this a recurring theme here?" Dominick asked Ichika.

"You have no idea..." Ichika answered with a sigh.

Rin and Cecilia Alcott were then instructed by Chifuyu to get ready for a mock battle against an opponent of higher calibre. Something that Dominick was eager to see.

"Watch out! Get out of the way!" came a panicked voice from above. Everyone looked up to see a certain green haired teacher coming down erratically...and towards Ichika.

"You heard her! Move it!" For some reason that he had no idea of, Dominick rushed towards Ichika and shoved the panicking human statue out of the way and instead Dominick ended up being crashed on by the falling person.

After the impact and the smoke cleared Dominick shook the dizziness out of his head and then found himself in a quaint position. On top of the green haired woman while his hand was on the woman's large breast.

"Uhm…Santos-san..." Maya Yamada spoke up to the third male IS pilot, "I didn't know that you wanted to be this close with me..."

Dominick quickly jumped as he let go of the woman's breast. "Sorry. Won't happen again." he said quickly. Suddenly a beam of light suddenly flew by him from his right side and he turned to see that the offender was Cecilia Alcott.

"That's too bad… I missed." The blonde English girl said with sarcasm drooling all over and a tick on her head.

"But I won't!" Dominick said as he partially deployed a robotic arm which had a Pulse rifle on it and aimed at her. No one attacks him without repercussion!

"Pervert!" Rin yelled out as she combined both her blades and flung them right at Dominick, who responded by shooting the blades away with precise shots from his Pulse rifle, much to the surprise of everyone including a prone Maya Yamada that was about to intervene with her rifle.

_'Such precision and calm. He's definitely no ordinary student.' _Maya thought.

"I knew that you were about to intervene but it wasn't necessary though I'd give you my thanks for trying." Dominick said to the instructor, then he turned to Rin and Cecilia, "And you two have better be more careful about who you attack!" After issuing that warning he walked back into line and had everyone's eyes on him much to his annoyance once more. "What are you all looking at?! Pay attention to the lesson!"

That managed to get Chifuyu to get things back in swing as she got the duel between Miss Yamada and Cecilia and Rin started.

"Dunois!" Chifuyu called out to the blonde male, "Tell everyone about the IS Yamada-sensei is using."

"Oh, oui...Yamada-sensei's IS is a Rafale Revive from the Dunois Company, my family's company. It's a machine developed at the end of the Second Generation, but its specs rival that of the early Third Generation machines." He explained as everyone watched the battle above them. Maya was easily dodging the shots from Rin's concussion cannons and Cecilia's shield bits.

_'Seraph, you getting this?' _Dominick asked mentally.

_**"Of course. In fact I'm gathering data about it and also the Blue Tears the one known as Alcott is using." **_Seraph replied.

_'Good. Keep doing that.' _Dominick said before closing off the link.

"By changing the equipment, it can be configured for all types, including physical combat, sniper role and defense." Charles continued.

Cecilia dodged Maya's shots from her sniper rifle, causing the English girl to unexpectedly crash into Rin, giving the instructor enough time to deploy her grenade launcher and fire a single shot at them, blowing them up and sending them crashing into the ground in defeat and creating a small crater.

"Ow! How could I…" Cecilia muttered.

"She easily read your movements like a book that it's silly!" Rin interrupted.

"Like you're one to talk!" Cecilia retorted, "You're the one who is shooting your weapons like an idiot!"

"You're both pathetic!" Dominick spoke up, irritated by the bickering, "Your non-existent teamwork's the reason why you two got your asses beat so easily!"

"Why you..." Both Cecilia and Rin growled.

"What was that? Did I hit a nerve or do you two want a piece of me?" Dominick said.

"Enough! You should understand the ability of the teachers now. Show some respect." Chifuyu cut in as Maya landed, "Next we will be practicing the IS controls. Divide into groups with those with personal IS as leaders. That includes you Dominick since you could pull off a partial deployment."

With that Dominick groaned in frustration and face palmed as he found himself surrounded by a group of very eager girls all vying for his attention.

"Welcome to the man heap Charles, Dominick." Ichika said.

_'Man heap my ass!' _Dominick thought. _'How about an Amazonian hell?' _Then an idea came to him which he smiled at before looking at the girls in his group.

"You girls want a live demonstration of an IS in action?" he asked getting nods from all the girls, "Well how about I show you how in my own IS?"

_**'And cue the panic attack and insanity.' **_Seraph thought as the AI had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

Dominick tapped the cross on his necklace and was surrounded by light for a few seconds before he reappeared in his IS and then the reactions came as certain people instantly recognized the IS suit and its familiar emblem.

_'N-n-nine Ball! Santos-san is the pilot of Nine Ball?!' _Maya panicked as she saw the intimidating IS in its red and black color scheme and with its deadly arsenal. The other students moved away from Dominick as his IS also intimidated them too.

"Of all the people to pilot Nine Ball it had to be him...why..." Chifuyu sighed but mentally she was worried about how her friend Yami would take this news, that her younger brother was the most wanted person in the world and the pilot of the most wanted IS.

_'So he's the pilot of the notorious Nine Ball?' _Charles thought, _'If he knew that he was here he'd be salivating right now.'_

"You're that pilot that helped us when that rogue IS attacked?" Ichika asked in shock.

"Yes I am, Ichika. And in case you're wondering the IS is called Nine Ball which I have a feeling a few people here know about." Dominick said. Next thing he knew Maya, Rin and Cecilia now in their IS were pointing their weapons at him. "Really? Do you really want to do this?"

"Well you and your IS are wanted by everyone in the world including the UN." Chifuyu said as she walked up towards Dominick, "And I'd like to know what you're doing here before I have you detained."

"Me? I'm just here as a student in this fine institution, nothing more or less." Dominick replied casually, "And do you really want to risk that? Sending some people to their deaths including putting your students at risk, considering that you know what I can do."

"Are you sure you can take on all the staff in the school by yourself? Even if your IS is powerful you can't take on everyone in the academy." Chifuyu asked with a grin. That grin left quickly when she saw an even more scary grin on Dominick's face as he brought up a hologram that showed the map and a blinking dot on it and the words 'LOCK ON'.

"Of course I can." Dominick replied, "Do you see this? That dot's the IS academy which has been targeted by an orbital cannon that I have programmed already. Try anything stupid and this place becomes a crater."

"You'd actually take us all hostage?!" Chifuyu asked in shock. Everyone else too was in the same boat as her, seeing that someone like him would resort to that.

"I would do it if you don't let me enjoy my life as a student here. I don't want to resort to this but you're giving me no other options." Dominick stated, "So here's how it goes down, you let me stay here as a student for the required 3 years without telling anyone about me and we'll have no problem and after 3 years I'm out of your hands, if not then it's the curtains for you all. And I mean it, I'll know if info about me gets leaked out and I won't hesitate to blow this place to kingdom come when that happens. Your move."

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**IS Nine Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core or Infinite Stratos.**

**AN: Just addressing some issues. First being a character that can challenge Dominick and Nine Ball. There will be a few characters in the IS universe that can challenge Nine Ball, and also a few IS/AC hybrids that will give Nine Ball a run for its money. Credit to KH-Hardcorefan4483 for one of the suggestions I intend to throw at Nine Ball and also for correcting me of an earlier mistake. Any ideas for how the story proceeds will be appreciated. Then there's the pairings, Dominick is only going to be paired with one of the ladies. As for the lucky lady, you can decide that. Now back to commencing hostilities!**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback<strong>_

_"Are you sure you can take on all the staff in the school by yourself? Even if your IS is powerful you can't take on everyone in the academy." Chifuyu asked with a grin. That grin left quickly when she saw an even more scary grin on Dominick's face as he brought up a hologram that showed the map and a blinking dot on it and the words 'LOCK ON'._

_"Of course I can." Dominick replied, "Do you see this? That dot's the IS academy which has been targeted by an orbital cannon that I have programmed already. Try anything stupid and this place becomes a crater."_

_"You'd actually take us all hostage?!" Chifuyu asked in shock. Everyone else too was in the same boat as her, seeing that someone like him would resort to that._

_"I would do it if you don't let me enjoy my life as a student here. I don't want to resort to this but you're giving me no other options." Dominick stated, "So here's how it goes down, you let me stay here as a student for the required 3 years without telling anyone about me and we'll have no problem and after 3 years I'm out of your hands if not sayonara to you all. And I mean it, I'll know if info about me gets leaked out I won't hesitate to blow this place to kingdom come. Your move."_

_**Flashback end**_

Chifuyu did not like the situation she was facing right now. Here the IS Academy was being held hostage by Dominick Santos, a male student in the academy who was also the owner of the notorious IS/AC hybrid known as Nine Ball known for the Nine Ball massacre and wanted worldwide for being in violation of the Alaska Treaty. Unless they let him attend the school as a normal student he'd have an orbital cannon that he'd program earlier blow the school clear off the map and take many innocent students with him. As much as she wanted to bring the young man to justice, she still had to consider the ultimatum presented to her. Now it was her move...

She made her move and hoped that she wouldn't regret it.

"Fine. As long as you just attend your classes and not cause any trouble, then NO ONE would reveal any form of information about you or your IS." Chifuyu said, much to the shock of everyone around her. "Yamada, Alcott, Huang. Stand down."

The three mentioned pilots obeyed the order albeit, reluctantly.

Dominick was glad that she made the right move. He may not dislike the older Orimura sibling but considering that she wanted to expose him to the world and try to arrest him and get Nine Ball and Seraph, he wouldn't have any of that. He also knew that Chifuyu was the best friend of that 'glorified woman' and that she knew who he really is. He also knew that she'd most likely tell that woman about his presence here.

"Good move." Dominick said sincerely, "I'd rather wipe out enemies than innocent civilians."

Chifuyu sighed before she ordered everyone to get back to the lesson. The practical session went on without further incident though Dominick could feel the anxiety and the anger of the other students watching him. He paid them no mind as he focused on the class.

**...**

After classes were done, Dominick was walking back to the dormitories while keeping his senses sharp. The other students kept their distance from him out of fear and because Chifuyu had warned them to not antagonize him. He was thinking of how the 'glorified woman' would react if she knew that he was back on the grid and was a student in this school. He also thought about how life in the IS academy would be especially for someone of his status. Then there was Chifuyu herself. Would she actually take his threat seriously or think that he was just bluffing and rat him out anyways?

_**'How's the glorified bitch going to take it when she hears that you're around?' **_Seraph asked.

_'That's up to her though if I know her, which I unfortunately still do, she'll try to get me to forgive those old pathetic relics and come back to the family.' _Dominick replied, _'And if she knows about my ultimatum she'll try to convince me to be a better person and stop what I'm doing.'_

_**'And what about me and Nine Ball?' **_

_'If she or anyone tries to get their hands on you or Nine Ball I'll kill them all without thinking twice.'_

_**'Will you forgive them though?'**_

_'I'll cross that bridge when that time comes.'_

_**'And what about 'her'?'**_ Seraph asked with disgust.

_'I'll deal with her when she shows up. Odds are that she'll try something crazy like hack the orbital cannon or Nine Ball. Unfortunately I have some countermeasures in place for her or any other moron that tries.' _Dominick answered.

**...**

"Are you sure that you can trust Dominick with keeping his word?" Maya Yamada asked worriedly.

"I trust him unfortunately. I looked in his eyes when he delivered that ultimatum and saw that he was serious about his threat and also sincere about wanting to just be a student in the academy." Chifuyu replied in frustration, "What I'm more worried about is Yami."

"What about Miss Kusanagi? Is she involved?" Maya asked in confusion.

"Dominick Santos is actually Shin Kusanagi, Yami's estranged younger brother that violently left the family some time after the reveal of the IS." Chifuyu replied. Maya gasped in shock at that info.

"EEHH? Dominick-san's Yami's younger brother? But why did he leave the family and change his name?"

"Ever since the reveal of the IS Shin had been ostracized by the family because he was male and couldn't pilot an IS. Yami however could and she was showered with praise and given everything and supported by everyone while Shin was ridiculed and even abused by the family. Initially the boy ignored it as he was proud of his sister and even supported her. But nine years ago, he reached his breaking point and left the family but not without putting his parents in the hospital after he blew them up with C4s and semtex. Since then no one had ever seen or heard from him."

Maya sighed after hearing Chifuyu's story. "And now he returns under a different name and with a very powerful IS but also with a lot of infamy too."

"That's not all. Shin hates the Kusanagi family with a passion." Chifuyu added, "Yami has tried to get in touch with him but no success. And when she did contact him, it was brief."

"If Yami finds out that her brother is here, she'll try to get him back and also inform the family."

"Which would result in a violent ending for everyone."

**...**

Dominick was glad that Chifuyu Orimura, who was also the dorm monitor, let him have a room to himself, which he preferred as he'd rather not have a room mate especially any of the rabid girls hell bent on jumping him if they were given the chance. After he was done with properly sorting his things out he decided to head to the dining hall to eat. As Dominick walked down the hallway, he barely noticed a girl with short blue hair, red eyes and a sexy figure wink at him as they walked by while he smirked back in return as he continued his walk. Dinner was a bit uneventful as most of the other students including the males avoided Dominick like the plague and also sent angry glares his way but he paid them no mind since they were not an issue, unless they decide to do something very stupid, fortunately thet didn't.

Dominick returned to his room, satisfied and ready to rest and do some study on Nine Ball with Seraph. What he didn't expect when he turned on the lights was to see the same blue haired girl he walked past earlier sitting on the other bed close to the window giving him a mischievous smile.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Dominick asked in suspicion and annoyance.

"Tatenashi Sarashiki. I'm a second year student and the Student Council President." The girl replied as she stood up from the bed, "I just came here to see the third male pilot that can pilot an IS and I must say you're quite the lady killer."

"Yes I get that a lot from the ladies." Dominick sarcastically remarked while he watched the girl walk towards him, "How did you get in here?"

"Like I said I'm the Student Council President so I have access to the dorm rooms." Tatenashi stated.

"Are you here to seduce me? If so then don't push your luck."

"Aww...I'm just here to talk to the owner of the notorious Nine Ball who has taken the school hostage."

"There's nothing to talk about Tatenashi-san, please leave."

"Maa, maa...there's always something to talk about, right Kusanagi-kun?"

The temperature in the room got dangerously low as Tatenashi found herself glued to the spot unable to move due to the killing intent Dominick sent her way. Next a hand grabbed her throat and she was lifted from the ground by a very pissed off Dominick who stared into Tatenashi's eyes while she struggled to escape his grasp.

"You're treading on dangerous territory, Tatenashi." Dominick growled, "Watch your step or you'd be missing that pretty face, comprehende?"

Despite having her throat in his grasp Tatenashi managed to nod to show that she got his warning. After that Dominick tossed her away from him towards the exit.

"Now leave! Before I change my mind." Dominick said while leaking more killing intent which was enough to get the bluenette running out of his room and closing the door.

_'How the hell did she know my old name?' _Dominick thought. He then brought out his data pad and began looking at the data in it. "Seraph."

_**"Yes, Partner?" **_The AI asked.

"Dig into the academy database and find everything about Tatenashi Sarashiki. Also check on the firewalls to ensure that security measures are still working and you and Nine Ball are not compromised."

_**"On it! Anything else?"**_

"Nothing else."

**...**

**Next Day...**

Everyone was in class and the atmosphere was tense due to the presence of Dominick who was on his seat ignoring the looks from everyone in the classroom. Thanks to Seraph he had gotten some information from the AI about Tatenashi Sarashiki and a new student showing up today. What he did not know was that this was someone he'd be happy to see again. And speaking of a new student...

"Um...well, I'm pleased to announce that we'll be having another transfer student here." Maya nervously stated.

In front of the class was a girl with silver hair, one eye covered by an eye patch and the visible one being red. She wore the IS uniform more like a military getup. Dominick's eyes went wide in realization of who this girl was and a grin came on his face.

"Introduce yourself, Laura." Chifuyu said to the new student.

"Jawhol, mentor." Laura said, then she faced the class, "I am Laura Bodewig."

"Um...Is that all?" Maya asked.

"Yes." Laura replied and then she looked at the class until her eyes stopped on Ichika. She walked up to the younger Orimura who looked confused at why she came to him. And then...

*SLAP*

Ichika got slapped by the silver haired girl gaining gasps from the girls and Maya, raised eyebrow from Dominick and Chifuyu and enraged looks from Houki and Cecilia.

"I will not!" Laura began, "I refuse to accept you as her brother!"

A scoff came after that. "As if you can do anything about it, soldier."

Laura looked around for the person who said it and her eyes widened in shock when she saw a red haired, black and red eyed male stand up with a stern look on his face. Someone she hadn't seen for some time.

"M-m-major?!"

"Yes, it's me, soldier. Now stand down!"

"But-"

"What was that, soldier?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all, Major."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 End.<strong>

**Read & Review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**IS Nine Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core or Infinite Stratos.**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p>Did she hear that right? Dominick is Laura's superior officer? Chifuyu Orimura was very confused by what had just transpired in the class. Laura just slapped her brother Ichika and more than likely earned the wrath of all the girls in the academy, then Dominick admonished her like a superior officer does. Seems that there are more things about Shin or Dominick than she knows. Either way she pushed that aside for now and got order back in the class.<p>

**...**

It was break time and Dominick and Laura were on the roof as the superior officer talked with his subordinate.

"What the hell was that about?" Dominick asked in a cold, stern tone. "When did I ever order you to start harassing civilians at random?"

"But Major, he-!"

"ENOUGH!" Dominick yelled, making Laura go silent. "Is this because Miss Orimura forfeited her match at the second Mondo Grosso seven years ago to rescue her brother when he got kidnapped? If so, then drop it! She did what any sibling would do for another! No one abandons their family...well except if you're those pathetic fools called the _Kusanagis._"

Laura meekly nodded as she saw the pained look on her superior's face and she knew why. The Kusanagi family was a sore subject to Dominick. Behind the door to the roof, Houki, Rin and Cecilia heard that too and wondered what happened between Dominick and Yami-sensei's family. Then they saw something that shocked them as Dominick hugged the German representative contender while sincerely smiling.

"Glad to see you here, I missed you my love."

Laura returned the hug herself as she replied, "Ich auch meine Liebe. Ich auch."

Well that got Ichika and the other wide eyed as they couldn't believe what they heard. Dominick and Laura were a couple? What in the world! Worse they are both soldiers.

"So how's the Schwarzer Regen doing? Hopefully you haven't messed it up." Dominick asked as he got serious again.

"It's in pristine condition, Major Dominick." Laura replied.

"That's good to know. If something goes wrong in anyway, let me know so that I'll deal with it."

"Jawhol, Major."

Then the school bell rang for the students to return for classes. Houki and the others quickly left.

"We'll continue our talk another time, Laura."

"Yes, we will, Dominick."

**...**

Class went on as usual, except that the girls were glaring at Laura and Dominick, for obvious reasons. Dominick ignored them since they were insignificant to him. Laura ignored them too though the female soldier found the annoying to her. After class was over they went to the cafeteria where Dominick and Laura got a seat for themselves and had their supper and once more all eyes were on them and it was starting to annoy Laura.

"Dominick, why are they looking at us like that?" Laura whispered to her boyfriend and superior.

"Well you did slap the only boy apart from me that could pilot an IS." Dominick said in a low tone which got the German scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "As for me, well that's because I'm holding them hostage."

"Huh? Hostage? Why?" Laura asked in shock.

"Well I'm the most wanted person in the world, actually tied with _that woman._ And I pilot the most wanted IS known as Nine Ball." Dominick answered nonchalantly. "I just wanted a break from killing terrorists and being on the run from the UN for so long. Of course your mentor tried to have me arrested so I had to force my hand."

"That's a little uncalled for. And will also get you in even more trouble."

"Like I care. The world has become a cluster fuck of rubbish thanks to the reveal of the IS all thanks to _you know who_. No offence to you but the women in the world think they're so high and mighty because only they could use the IS and now the emergence of Ichika Orimura has caused panic in their ranks and also caused greed as the males now want the kid so as to even the playing field. Not only that, the Alaska Treaty is nothing but a joke. It's thanks to it that Phantom Task is able to do as they please and I'm doing UN's job of removing those pieces of trash."

"Hmmm, I see. But what about your..._family_?" Laura asked while bracing herself for an angry rant.

Dominick coldly answered,"The old relics and the glorified bitch are dead to me as far as I'm concerned. They wasted all their time dotting and glorifying the bitch because she could use an IS. They gave her everything but gave me nothing but ridicule and a living hell. Then when I leave the bitch has the galls to try and contact me and 'mend bridges'. As if!"

"I see. Sorry for asking."

"Don't be Laura. Besides I can't wait to see the glorified bitch when she finds out that I'm the pilot of Nine Ball. It'll be a riot."

Laura had a chill go up her spine as her boyfriend began having some crazy visions in his head.

"Anyways enough about those wastes of space, how about we do some training with our IS?" Dominick said happily, "Also you should apologize to Ichika tomorrow. Alright?"

"Jawhol."

**...**

Rumor had been going around talking about Dominick and Laura being a couple. Some found that hard to believe while some actually saw it as possible as both were not liked by the students for different reasons. Dominick because of his taking of their school hostage with an orbital cannon and Laura because she slapped Ichika Orimura. Fortunately the dislike for her didn't last long when she apologized to the boy in the class which he accepted. However the heat was still on Dominick which didn't bother him.

The next day the students were given time to train for the class tournament coming up instead of going for lessons. The big surprise was that the matches are team based too meaning that students had to get partners for it. Dominick and Laura used it as the opportunity to train with their IS in one of the practice arenas. They weren't the only ones there as Ichika and Charles were also there too for practice and so were Houki, Rin and Cecilia.

Laura was in her grey IS suit while Dominick was in his red IS suit as they stood across from each other.

"Ready, soldier?"

"I'm ready, Major!"

**[Play- Nine Ball Theme, Armored Core series. Initiating hostilities...]**

With that both deployed their respective IS, Laura in her Schwarzer Regen and Dominick in Nine Ball. Then immediately they sprung into action.

Dominick zoomed across the arena at insane speeds while firing barrages from his pulse rifle and grenade launcher. Laura used the AIC or Active Inertia Canceler to stop the barrage when she could and dodge the rest since Nine Ball's speed far surpassed the Schwarzer Regen and his attacks were insane. She created enough distance and fired the rail gun at Dominick which he easily dodged by boosting to the side and returned fire with a pulse rifle burst which was nullified by the AIC. Then Dominick boosted towards Laura with his Moonlight laser blade at the ready. Laura was just about to use the AIC to stop him when he abruptly changed direction and boosted around to her back and got slashed from behind.

"AAHH!" Laura yelped and she saw her shield go down by 250 points.

"Don't rely on the AIC too much Laura. While it's useful in its own right it can still be beaten when you're fighting multiple opponents since you have to focus on one target, when dealing with someone who can fake you out and maneuver around you or someone who can escape it with powerful boosters." Dominick advised as he boosted away.

"Jawhol, Major!"

"Also not every attack can be stopped by the AIC, like for example a rail gun or continuous fire. Save your AIC for one on one combat and when they don't have a rail gun."

Dominick then went airborne and fired multiple missiles from his vertical missile launcher, forcing Laura to ignition boost to avoid most of the barrage. After that she charged at him and engaged in close quarters combat with her dual laser blades. Dominick simply defended with his Moonlight blade.

Everyone was now watching the intense sparring match as Ichika, Charles, Houki, Rin and Cecilia, and the other students came in to watch Laura's Schwarzer Regen in action against Dominick's Nine Ball. They were obviously in awe and easily saw why it was infamous after all as Laura was forced on the defensive from the relentless firepower and insane speeds of Dominick's IS.

"Wow! Dominick's really good and his IS is crazy fast." Ichika said.

"Amazing! So that's the power of the notorious Nine Ball." Charles said in awe, "I hope we don't have to fight against Dominick at all in the tournament. Even now he's holding back against Laura."

Ichika gulped at that. If Dominick was holding back this much against Laura and still dominating, imagine how it would be if he went all out.

"I already have an idea of how it'll turn out if he was serious, it'll be a massacre." Ichika stated in fear.

The three girls shivered in fear when they heard the two boys' statements. Just how powerful is Dominick and Nine Ball? Could he even be a match for Chifuyu Orimura herself or even Yami Kusanagi, an IS pilot that's just as good as her?

The sparring match soon ended as Laura was finally overwhelmed by Dominick and her IS was unresponsive. Dominick came up to her and shook her hand.

**[End music.]**

"Hey, don't feel down because you lost." Dominick tried to cheer her up.

"How can I? You're definitely stronger than I am and Nine Ball is a superior machine." Laura replied, "I was already outmatched from the get go and you held back a lot."

"So what if I did? This was just a sparring session to get a feel for our IS. Especially when we're going to be partners in the class tournament."

"R-really? You want to team up with me?"

"Of course. What? Is that a problem soldier?"

"No problem, Major!"

"Good. Let's take a break then."

**...**

In the control room, Chifuyu, Maya and a blonde woman in her early twenties had just finished watching the sparring match between the two students and they were amazed by the capabilities of the notorious red and black IS piloted by Dominick Santos.

"So you couldn't get any data on that IS?" Yami asked Maya.

"No, I couldn't get anything at all. I was locked out from getting anything." Maya replied in frustration.

"Not surprising. Dominick doesn't want anyone to have any data on Nine Ball." Chifuyu said, "Not to mention, he was holding back a lot. If this was a real match he'd have won within seconds."

"So Dominick's an extraordinary pilot? Interesting." Yami muttered.

"And he's apparently Laura's superior officer." Maya added, "Just how well do we know about Dominick Santos?"

"Not a whole lot. But I intend to find out." Chifuyu said, "There're too many unanswered questions here."

"So do I. Besides for some reason he seems familiar." Yami added.

_'You have no idea.' _Chifuyu thought.

**...**

Later in the evening Dominick and Laura were called to the faculty room by Chifuyu Orimura. Laura had no idea why but Dominick had a good guess. When they entered the room, they found Chifuyu, Maya and then a third woman in the room, a very familiar person too, and it made Dominick growl in anger while the woman gasped in shock and recognition.

"Shin-chan?"

"Hello _glorified bitch_!"

Laura and Chifuyu sighed and face palmed as they realized that the situation was about to get really bad while Maya looked on in panic at the incoming explosion.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 End.<strong>

**It's official, it's an OC x Laura pairing. Never seen anyone do it so I'll give it a go! I may add another but that depends on if I feel like it.**

**Uh oh! Shit's about to hit the fans as Yami Kusanagi finally meets her brother after four years. How will this go down?**

**Sorry for the short chapter but the next one will hopefully be longer. **

**Read & Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**IS Nine Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core or Infinite Stratos.**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on IS Nine Ball...<strong>

_Later in the evening Dominick and Laura were called to the faculty room by Chifuyu Orimura. Laura had no idea why but Dominick had a good guess. When they entered the room, they found Chifuyu, Maya and then a third woman in the room, a very familiar person too, and it made Dominick growl in anger while the woman gasped in shock and recognition._

_"Shin-chan?"_

_"Hello glorified bitch!"_

**...**

Tension was in the air as Yami Kusanagi stood across from her estranged younger brother Shin Kusanagi, who'd changed his name to Dominick Santos. The older sibling had been trying to mend fences with her brother ever since he violently parted from the family but Dominick wanted nothing of it. The words _glorified bitch _made her feel terrible since it was almost true too. Her parents glorified her because she could pilot the IS but she sure as hell wasn't a bitch as she didn't let it go to her head and had tried to help her brother deal with the abuse and ridicule. Unfortunately he reached his breaking point and the rest is history.

"Shin Kusanagi!" Chifuyu yelled at the younger Kusanagi sibling, only to be blasted by some much killing intent that she barely kept from passing out. Maya was already at that point and Yami was the same as Chifuyu. Laura was only able to withstand it because she had experienced it before.

**"My name is DOMINICK SANTOS! **_**Shin Kusanagi died the day those fucking power hungry relics thought they could trade him off like some commodity!**_**" **Dominick yelled back in an almost demonic tone before he dropped the killing intent.

"What do you mean by that Shin-chan?" Yami asked and getting a cold look aimed at her.

"I mean that your _oh so great and loving parents_ that glorified you like you were the best thing since sliced bread tried to use an arranged marriage to get rid of me and gain more power!" Dominick replied coldly, "The lucky or unlucky bride to be was Tatenashi Sarashiki."

"The school council president?" Maya asked in surprise.

"Yes. I was to be forced into a marriage that I had no interest in and when I made it clear that I wanted nothing to do with such marriage they decided to go for more drastic measures." Dominick said as he presented a hologram showing a chip.

"What's that chip for?" Laura asked.

"This was meant to be planted into my head to make me into a mindless drone and marry Tatenashi for their power play. Unfortunately for them I overhead their pathetic scheme and let them know my anger at that by blowing them sky high."

"That can't be true. That can't be..." Yami began to argue.

"Well guess what? It is true you glorified bitch!" Dominick silenced her, "To think that you'd defend those relics even after I told you what they planned all those years back, I'm even more disgusted at the sight of you!"

"What about you? You became the pilot of an IS that's in violation of the Alaska Treaty, butcher a lot of people and worse you take the school hostage!" Yami countered.

Dominick scoffed, "So? The Alaska Treaty's a fucking joke. Why do you think Phantom Task is able to do whatever they want? As for who I've been 'butchering', they're Phantom Task members of course. They even once asked me to join them, but I turned them down and decided to rather exterminate them like the vermin they are. As for the Nine Ball massacre, that was result of them killing cousin Maria Santos and her husband who took me in and even got me into the German military, all because I turned down the terrorists' invite. And since then I've been on a war path killing and destroying any presence of those pieces of garbage. And as for the academy I actually wanted a break from it all."

"Where did you get Nine Ball from?" Chifuyu asked, "And why can't we get any data on it?"

Dominick had an intimidating grin on his face as if he expected her to ask that question.

"Simple. I designed and created Nine Ball for me and only me to use. So don't even bother asking for data on it or even try hacking it since I have a nasty surprise for any moron that tries."

That shocked the three older women in the room while Laura wasn't bothered about it.

"You created that monstrosity? What were you trying to prove?!" Yami demanded.

"Simple. To prove that I could pilot an IS just as good if not better than you." Dominick hissed, "Then those relics would regret their idiotic move all those years ago."

"That's it? You're doing all this for petty revenge? You're pathetic."

"The pot's calling the kettle black, glorified bitch!"

"Enough you two!" Chifuyu yelled, "I got you two here so that you can mend bridges between the family instead you turn it to a pissing match."

Dominick scoffed at his teacher, "There's no point bringing me here to begin with. All this was a waste of time. As far as I'm concerned the Kusanagis are dead to me just as I'm dead to them."

That caused Yami to gasp in shock as she became hurt by her brother's words and tears were coming out of her eyes.

"If there's nothing else, me and Laura will be leaving to practice our team work." Dominick said as he and Laura got up and were about to leave.

"Hold on. How do you know Laura?" Chifuyu asked once more.

"I knew her through cousin Maria's husband who was in the German military. When they saw me and the power of my IS they got me into the same unit as Laura. While we worked together we ended up developing feelings for each other and soon became a couple." Dominick answered as he hugged his silver haired, eye patch wearing girlfriend. "In fact in after we graduate from here, we're getting married."

"What?! No you can't do that!" Yami argued, "But what about Tatenashi?! She's-"

"I'll deal with her later! But I'll make it clear for you glorified bitch, I love Laura and she loves me and we're going to get married whether you or those relics like it or not!" Dominick snapped. "Laura, we're done here."

The German nodded as she hold on to her fiance's arm and they began to leave.

"Oh sorry to inform you Dominick but you'll not be participating in the team tournament." Chifuyu said, stopping the couple in their tracks.

"WHY?!" They asked.

"Even without data on your IS, just based on that sparring match alone, The Nine Ball is much superior to every other IS here, even the personal machines of the representative contenders. If we let you compete it'll be unfair to the other participants." Maya said.

"Of course it is. I made it to be like that. Superior to the damned IS that caused this societal power crap, no thanks to that _crazy, egocentric woman_." Dominick replied in disgust, "Even so that's not a valid reason to stop me."

"What about the guests from different countries, companies and even the UN? If they saw Nine Ball, it'll cause chaos considering both you and your IS' notoriety." Chifuyu said, "Not to mention that they'll try to arrest you right there and then."

"Not to mention that Mother and Father will be there too and they won't be too happy to see you." Yami added, which elicted a crazed grin from Dominick once more.

"Then all the more reason to participate so that I can rub it in their wrinkly old faces and leave a surprise for them." he chuckled before he and Laura left the room, leaving three surprised women behind.

**...**

"Are you sure it's a good idea to participate?" Laura asked her fiance in concern. "Not like I'm against it but what if what they said about UN representatives being there is true?"

"I'm a student here. And thanks to one of its rules, no one can do anything about me as long as I'm a student here." Dominick answered, "After three years then they can bother themselves but by then we'll be married and the German military will no doubt keep the UN and other nations off me since they have my back."

Laura sighed, "I know but I'm still worried about what is bound to happen when you participate in the tournament."

"We'll cross that bridge together when that happens, Laura. So don't stress yourself out." Dominick said. Suddenly he felt two soft mounds on his back and two arms came around his chest as he was hugged from behind by some woman/girl.

"Alright, who is it that's brave enough to approach me like this?" Dominick asked in annoyance.

"Hello again Shin-kun!" said a playful Tatensashi.

"Tatenashi. You have ten seconds to get off me before I become very violent." Dominick said.

"Mou...you're no fun!" The bluenette pouted as she let go, "You never show me any affection, but you have no problem being close to Bodewig-san here."

"That's because I'm his fiancee you schlampe!" Laura snapped, stunning the bluenette before she quickly recovered.

"Ara? I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I thought I heard something ridiculous from you." Tatenashi asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"Do you need hearing aid? If so let me say it again, Laura is my fiancee whom I'll marry when we graduate from the academy. Got that?" Dominick stated.

Tatenashi's eyes grew wide at that statement. "W-W-What?! What do you mean by that? I thought that we were going to get married."

"No, we weren't going to. It wasn't even meant to be arranged to begin with." Dominick replied, "You may have thought that I had feelings for you but I never did."

"But didn't your parents say that you-"

"Those pathetic relics lied to you! All that was part of their ploy to gain more power Tatenashi!"

"!?"

"Here's some advice tell your parents to cut their ties with the Kusanagis, they are nothing but trouble. If you don't believe me then look at this." Dominick took out a small disc from his pocket and put it in the Russian's hand. "That contains everything you need to know about why they can't be trusted. When you finish with it, show it your parents too so that they can know what I'm talking about. Have a nice day."

With that said, Dominick and Laura left the hallway with a confused Tatenashi looking at the disc the boy gave her. Deciding to see the truth for herself she left the hallway too for her room.

**...**

After revealing their relationship to Chifuyu, the woman gave Dominick and Laura their own room. Sitting on a chair was the former Kusanagi, still fuming about his meeting with his older sister. How dare she question his motives? The glorified bitch was so naive about her great _parents _that it pissed him off even more. One day he'll have to open her eyes to the truth of it all! Whatever, no point in thinking on it too much as he and his fiancee had a tournament to win tomorrow.

The sound of water running stopped got his attention. Coming out of the shower was his fiancee, Laura with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body and without the eye patch on her left eye, which was glowing yellow. She saw her love sitting on the chair in a bad mood which saddened her as she didn't like seeing him this way. So she walked up behind him and snaked her arms around his neck which calmed Dominick down and made him smile a little.

"Are you alright Dominick?" Laura asked.

"I'd be lying if I said I was. Seeing Yami again brought back bad memories." Dominick answered truthfully and sighed. "I also can't stand her naivety too."

"What do you mean?"

"She has no idea about the true nature of the so called _parents _that dotted on her and glorified her."

"Maybe so, but weren't you a bit harsh with her back then?"

"No, I was being blunt and serious with her. She still thinks that her _parents_ can do no wrong. If she could open her damn eyes for once she'd see the truth."

"I see." Laura just hugged Dominick, pressing her breasts against his back. "But what about Tatenashi? Do you think that it's a good idea to give her that disc?"

"It is." Dominick answered, "She and her family are good people and while I may have been an ass to her, I'm not heartless to not reveal something to her that could affect her and her family badly. It's for the best anyways."

"That's...very considerate of you, Dominick."

"Yes, I know. People tell me that a lot. Well let's go to bed, we have a tournament to win and some people to shock."

"Jawhol!"

**...**

The day for the tournament came with many excited for it as the girls saw it as a chance to get to date Ichika Orimura. However many were also angry because the pilot of the IS Nine Ball, Dominick Santos, was going to be participating. Also Ichika, Charles, Houki, Rin and Cecilia, and those that watched the spar earlier between the male and female soldiers were scared and hoping to not face the team of Dominick Santos and Laura Bodewig, mainly because of the insanely powerful red and black IS/AC hybrid piloted by the male. While Laura's Schwarzer Regen was a formidable machine in its own right with its AIC for stopping attacks, the massive rail gun on the shoulder, guided tethers for restraining foes amd heat blades on both arms for close quarters, it was still not the same as the Nine Ball which had already been proven to be a force to be reckoned with with its own deadly arsenal and its insane capabilities. Plus there's still more about it that they don't even know of yet, which makes it even worse. Unfortunately for Houki and Rin who were matched up together as a team to face that terrifying team.

Inside the arena the spectators which included representatives from multiple countries, IS production companies, the UN and other groups like the Kusanagi Foundation which had both Saito Kusanagi and his wife Kirche Kusanagi in attendance awaited the first match of the team tournament between team A that consisted of Laura Bodewig of Germany and the new student known as Dominick Santos also of Germany, and Team B that consisted of Houki Shinonono of Japan and Lingyin Huang of China, all first year students at the IS academy. Houki was in the basic Uchigane and Rin was in her Shenlong awaiting their opponents or according to their classmates their impending doom. Laura first flew into the arena in her Schwarzer Regen and landed across for them, then the one everyone had been waiting for arrived in its full glory as Dominick flew into the arena in the death machine known as red and black IS Nine Ball. That shocked the representatives in the guest stand especially the UN and Kusanagi Foundation as they now saw the notorious IS that had made a mockery of the Alaska Treaty and messed with the current societal norm.

The two Germans sized up their opponents across from them and decided to get the show on the road.

"So how we deal with them Major?" Laura asked.

"Divide and conquer, Laura. You take Miss Shinonono while I'll deal with Huang since she's the bigger threat." Dominick replied in a serious tone.

"Jawhol, Major!"

**"Both teams ready? BEGIN!"**

_**"Target Verified. Commencing Hostilities!" **_Seraph said as the battle began.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 End.<strong>

**Dominick and Yami have said what they wanted to say. He's also given Tatenashi some info that would be a possible eye opener to some damning information. What it is is anyone's guess.**

**Next chapter would be the tournament and some more damning revelations.**

**Read & Review and if you don't like what I'm writing then what the hell are you still doing here?!**


	6. Chapter 6

**IS Nine Ball**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core or Infinite Stratos.**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

><p>Tatenashi was upset. No upset was too weak to describe her mood. She was outright enraged and was looking for something or someone to break. Students wasted no time getting out of her way least they drew her wrath. As for why she was enraged she had a very good reason for that and it had to do with what she received from Dominick Santos.<p>

_**Flashback, Last night**_

_Tatenashi looked at the small disc that Shin/Dominick gave her earlier. She also wondered about why he said that her family should cut ties with the Kusanagis. Why did her Shin-kun hold such a grudge against his own family? The disc definitely holds the answers since he gave it to her._

_When she got back to her room she got out her laptop and put the disc in the drive and then began to read the info on it. What she found out proved to be a shocker for her: what she was seeing was basically part of the black book of Saito and Kirche Kusanagi._

_They were allies with Phantom Task! They provided funds and information on IS and other things with their vast information network and even helped the terrorist group with easily doing whatever they wanted. They were also power hungry monsters with delusions of grandeur. The disc also contained their resentment for Shin because of his inability to pilot the IS unlike his older sister Yami they held in high praises, and how much of a failure he was as their child. Initially Saito wanted the son to go through a sex change operation but Kirche wanted no part of that. But that was nothing compared to what they had planned for Shin before he left the family with a bang. The arranged marriage between him and her was a plan to get rid of the Sarashikis who had been fighting against Phantom Task ever since they showed up. He was to be implanted with a mind control chip and used to secretly take out the family and give the fortune to the Kusanagis. Tatenashi herself was to also have a similar chip implanted in her so as to get a powerful IS pilot for the terrorist group. However that plan was scrapped after Shin found out what they had planned and tried to kill his parents but didn't get the job done. Apparently Yami Kusanagi was innocent in all this as she had no knowledge of what her parents Saito and Kirche had planned. After the failed murder attempt, Saito and Kirche more or less disowned Shin and put a hit on his life. _

_Then comes the IS Nine Ball who had put a dent in a lot of their plans due to the massacres of Phantom Task members and destruction of their bases. The Kusanagi family had used their info network to find out who the pilot is so that they can find him, eliminate him once and for all and gain his powerful IS which far surpassed every IS in the world, but so far they've come up with nothing but more deaths of their allies and a threat from the pilot, one Dominick Santos who has vowed to ruin them for good due to their connection with the murders of his cousin Maria Santos and her husband Colonel Marov Santos. Now the Kusanagis are in a race against time to find this pilot before he destroys them for good._

_Tatenashi was unable to think for a while after reading all that before she blacked out._

**...**

With all the evidence she's gained thanks to Shin/Dominick, Tatenashi definitely intends to let her parents know about their so called 'friends' so that they can cut their ties with them and ruin those monsters too. Tatenashi also felt sorry for Miss Yami Kusanagi as she was innocent of everything and for Shin/Dominick because he had been turned from the cheerful, confident, and intelligent boy she knew back then into a dark avenger who won't stop until his parents and Phantom Task were annihilated once and for all. Now she made a vow of her own: to get Dominick back to the boy she still has feelings for, even if he's already betrothed with someone else.

**...**

**IS Arena 6, IS Academy**

The first match between the Team Dominick Santos and Laura Bodewig and the Team of Lingyin Huang and Houki Shinonono was best described as a one sided beat down. Houki had no answer for Laura as her Schwarzer Regen easily overwhelmed the Shinonono's Uchigane with her powerful rail gun and AIC. Dominick's Nine Ball did a huge number on Huang's Shenlong as the IS/AC hybrid overwhelmed the 3rd generation IS with its superior speed, flight and firepower. The Shenlong's impact cannon didn't help as Rin couldn't land a hit on Dominick who basically zoomed around her and pounded her with his weaponry. Close range combat was no better as Dominick was just as deadly there as he was at mid and long range with his Moonlight saber, which the Chinese representative found out the hard way.

Overall a flawless victory for Team A but an empty victory for Dominick Santos as he felt unsatisfied with that easy win.

**...**

**Guest Seats, with Saito and Kirche Kusanagi**

The CEO of the Kusanagi Foundation and his wife had finished watching the first match of the class tournament and like the other guests here they were surprised to see the notorious Nine Ball in the IS Academy but for them they had their most hated enemy too.

"So Dominick Santos is a student at the academy huh? What do we do now?" The brunette, Kirche whispered to her husband.

"Nothing." Saito answered.

"What do you mean by nothing?! We know where he is and we can get him eliminated once and for all."

"He's a student here so we can't touch him at all until after three years. UN's also in the same boat here as they want him just as badly as we do but the rules won't let them."

"Why not just inform Phantom Task of his presence here and let them go after him?" Kirche suggested.

"Are you stupid? Haven't you seen the power of his IS and also the carnage he's created? All we'll be doing is sending our allies to their deaths." Saito instantly shot the idea down. "No, we'll bid our time and strike when he's vulnerable."

"Bid our time? You do realize that he has our 'black book' and it's only a matter of time before he ruins us."

"You think I don't know that? Also he hasn't published that info yet. He seems to also be bidding his time too. Waiting for us to slip up before he drops the hammer on us or he has something else planned too. We have to tread lightly and wait for him to slip up and then we'll pounce."

"We could use Yami to deal with him. She's a teacher here and she could help us to get dirt on him and also get him out of school so that it'll be easier to take him down and gain Nine Ball for ourselves."

"I know that but I'd rather not involve our daughter in our problem. She's made something for herself and made us proud parents. Better for her to not be exposed to any blow back if things fall apart."

"You have a point...So we just bid our time?"

"Yes, we'll bid our time and make our own moves."

**...**

**Arena Hangar**

"That was a good match Major. We were fantastic out there." Laura said in excitement.

"Yes we were great out there, though I wished that they'd given us a better challenge. It was too easy for us." Dominick said.

_**"No kidding, partner. That was pathetic." **_Seraph added, _**"But the result was obvious from the get go. No way in hell would I lose to an IS."**_

_'True. I made Nine Ball to completely outdo an IS. Although so far we've been dealing with 2nd and 3rd generation IS. I'd like to see how Nine Ball would do against a 4th generation IS.'_

"Well what do you expect when you're piloting an IS like Nine Ball which far surpasses 2nd and 3rd generation IS." Laura said, "What about a 4th generation IS?"

"That I'd like to see. Hopefully a 4th generation IS would give Nine Ball a challenge." Dominick commented.

"It looks like the UN reps are not happy with the sight of you and Nine Ball. They obviously want to bring you in right now but the rules of the academy has their hands tied."

"Ha! Pathetic! They still don't know anything. They only want Nine Ball for themselves since I'm a male that can pilot it. They're just using the excuse that it's in violation of that garbage Alaska Treaty to justify their idiocy. Instead of dealing with problems like the Phantom Task and their allies they're wasting their time on me and Nine Ball."

"Well if those schwachkopfs try anything stupid there'll be hell to pay and I'll be more than happy to give them that one way trip, meine Liebe." Laura said with conviction.

"Oh, I know that you will, Laura." Dominick agreed.

_**"And when they do try something stupid, hell hath no fury..." **_Seraph inputted.

_'No kidding Seraph. And I know that first hand.'_

**...**

The semi-final match was a lot different as the team Laura and Dominick faced comprising of two girls, had much better team work but they still fell to the overwhelming firepower of the two German soldiers. The opposing team knew about Laura's preference for long range attacks and ignored Dominick's all round abilities because he was a male and so in arrogance they decided to focus on the female German before going after her more well rounded team mate, which proved to be a bad move as Dominick reminded them that he existed and was the bigger threat as he covered for Laura while brutally beating the crap out of them before both girls were finished off by Laura's rail gun. That match made the spectators cringe and pale as they saw Dominick's brutality and the unfortunate girls had to be taken to the infirmary due to that same brutality.

Now it was the finals and it was Laura and Dominick against Ichika and Charles. A matchup many were eager to watch but also one that was dreaded by many at the same time. Chifuyu being one of those who dreaded this as she knew that Nine Ball was a monster and even with Ichika's trump card he and Charles would be hard pressed against its pilot Dominick. Of course many of the representatives were not happy at the sight of the IS that far surpasses other IS and was in violation of the Alaska Treaty. Not to mention the pilot who was a male and had a vendetta with the Kusanagis.

Dominick looked at his opponents and smirked. Charles Dunnois was in his IS Raphael Revive Custom, while Ichika was in his IS Byakushiki. He knew about both IS due to Seraph getting the info on both before he joined the academy. Charles' IS had good armor and a lot of firepower but not as much as Nine Ball and he had the Shield Pierce weapon which was a dangerous melee weapon that could really dent shields. Ichika's IS only had one weapon which was the sword Yukihara and it was a deadly weapon due to its one off ability that is a bane to many IS, it allowed it to do crazy damage to IS but it used up its own shield for such an attack. But even with that knowledge Dominick knew he'd better not get arrogant, but right now he was too eager to get this show on the road. He was fighting Chifuyu's brother, Ichika.

"So how do you want us to do this Dominick?" Laura asked.

"You deal with Ichika. I'll take on Charles." Dominick answered, "You sure you've gotten over your anger toward him?"

"I'm sure I no longer hold a grudge against him, Major."

"Good to hear because I don't need you going crazy and looking for blood."

"Same for you. You're getting battle crazy or you're already there."

Dominick rolled his eyes. That was true. He always loved the thrill of a fight and when he began piloting Nine Ball he became battle crazy especially when fighting a worthy foe. It was a mindset that Laura had tried to get him out of but with little success.

"I won't. I just want a good fight that's all." Dominick said.

"I know and that's what I'm worried about." Laura sighed.

Ichika and Charles stared at their opponents but they were mostly intimidated by Dominick and Nine Ball. With what they've witnessed so far, Nine Ball far surpassed an IS on so many levels. It had superior mobility, firepower and defenses and was good at all ranges. Not only that the pilot was very skilled which the two boys had witnessed when he decimated his opponents in the matches. Also there was also Laura who seemed to be his surbordinate and also skilled with her Schwarzer Regen. Then there was their great teamwork as they operated like a battle hardened unit, which they were not far off from.

"What's the plan of attack, Ichika?" Charles asked.

"They're a strong team, Charles. Their teamwork's good and they cover for each other well." Ichika responded, "However we know about Laura but Dominick's still an unknown since he hasn't shown his full power yet."

"How can you tell?"

"The way he's been fighting. He's been holding back because no one has been able to push him yet and I have a feeling that he'll go all out because it's me. I'll take Dominick while you handle Laura."

"Are you sure Ichika? This is the pilot of Nine Ball we're talking about."

"I know that but cowering in fear won't help us any better."

The buzzer sounded to signify the start of hostilities. Ichika wasted no time charging at Dominick and began attacking with slashes with his sword only to hit nothing as Dominick easily dodged the attacks. At the same time Charles was doing his best to avoid Laura's tethers that tried to grab him.

"Change of plans, Ichika's mine while you deal with Charles." Dominick informed his partner.

"Got it Major!" Laura said as she fired her railgun which Charles had to dodge.

After some more dodging Dominick got bored and parried Ichika's next attack with his Moonlight saber and came back with a powerful counter that Ichika barely defended against before Dominick kicked him out of his space. Ichika managed to recover in time only to end up being on the defensive once more as Dominick attacked with bursts from his Pulse rifle. Ichika dodged for a while and then charged at Dominick with his sword poised to strike but had to break off his attack when Laura fired a round from her rail gun at him. Before she could follow up she was intercepted by Charles who fired a barrage from his twin machine guns forcing the German to dodge.

Ichika took to the air and was immediately pursued by Dominick who fired grenade rounds from his grenade launcher and then bursts from his pulse rifle. Ichika found himself in a tight spot as he had to dodge the explosions and the laser bursts from his opponent. Dominick pressed the attack by launching missiles instead of grenade rounds at the male Orimura which added to his problems as he now had to dodge multiple missiles and laser bursts. He continued dodging the barrage for a moment and then suddenly ignition boosted towards Dominick expecting to catch the Nine Ball pilot by surprise with the Yukihara's special attack.

_As if._

Dominick dodged the attack at the last second shocking Ichika as he flew past him exposing himself to a grenade round that exploded and sent him crashing to the ground, leaving him in a crater.

"So predictable." Dominick said, "You better come up with a new trick because that's one getting old fast."

Ichika managed to get up and cursed as he saw that his shields had dropped a lot from that attack, and he looked up to curse even more as he found himself dodging a missile barrage from Dominick once more. Dominick pressed his attack while interchanging between missiles and grenade rounds until he was forced to dodge Charles who came at him with his Shield piercer weapon. He growled at him and fired his pulse rifle at the French pilot who put up a riot shield to take the barrage and charged at Dominick. The Nine Ball pilot quickly switched to his Moonlight and parried the shield pierce and responded with an overhead slash which Charles blocked with his shield. The Frenchman was then forced to back off as Laura attacked with her twin heat blades. Then Ichika came out of the blue with an attack on Laura but was stopped by the German's AIC and held in place. Before she could fire her rail gun she got blindsided by a rifle shot from Charles forcing her to let go of the AIC. Ichika tried to captilaize on the off balanced Laura but Dominick stepped in to stop him and both locked blades together before they separated from each other.

"How are your shields Lieutenant?" Dominick asked.

"Not too bad no thanks to Dunnois' Shield Pierce." Laura reported, "No way I can engage him since he also has ignition boost like Ichika and he used it to surprise me before he hit me. I barely got away before he cornered me and continued, what other tricks does he have?"

"Some more since he has more experience than Ichika." Dominick said, "Let's switch targets. I've got Ichika's shields down a bit and he's an easier target for you than Charles. So he's all yours. But first a gun salute for them."

"Jawhol Major!"

With that the Germans fired a barrage of missiles and rail gun shots at their opponents forcing Charles and Ichika to split up before the Germans went after their new targets as Laura engaged Ichika and Dominick engaged Charles.

Nine Ball and Rafael Revive Custom pilots engaged in a heated shootout with both guys unable to hit each other due to Charles' shield and Dominick's boost dodges.

"You'll need more than that to beat me Charles." Dominick taunted, "And here I thought I'd be given a much better challenge than the other opponents. You and Ichika are both starting to bore me."

"Oh don't write us off yet Dominick. We still have some tricks up our sleeves." Charles warned.

"If that's so then what the hell are you waiting for?! Bring it on!" Dominick roared.

Charles switched to his shotgun and fired at Dominick which were still being dodged but with a lot more difficulty due to the spread shots and still got hit barely a few times. Charles then managed to feint Dominick to dodge too early and then charged into him as fast as possible with his shield, sending him flying towards the wall, much to shock of everyone including Laura and Ichika. Charles then charged at him with the shield pierce and connected, however Dominick managed to recover his wits and got out of the way. Seeing his advantage Charles switched to his shotgun and began to press his attack. People began cheering for Charles as someone was finally able to do damage to the Nine Ball for the first time in years.

_'Not bad! Looks like he's managed to actually hit me.' _Dominick thought as he checked his shields and found that it had dropped from 1000 to 505 much to his shock and then anger, _'Alright that's it! Playtime's fucking over! Seraph!'_

**"Yes partner?" **Seraph called out.

_'Activate human plus! It's time to unleash hell!'_

**"Are you sure? You haven't even tested it yet. Who knows what it could do to you?"**

_'Well no one has given me a reason to until now! This is also a good time to test it too.'_

**"And if things go too far?"**

_'Do what you have to do when that happens!'_

**"Alright. Human plus activate. I'll be holding the fort."**

As Dominick activated Human Plus, Charles rushed at him with his Shield Pierce ready to attack once more, as he got closer Dominick smirked as he closed his eyes and let the Human Plus upgrade take effect and then suddenly a red and black energy field surrounded him forcing Charles to stop his charge and back off. Laura and Ichika even had to stop their fight and look at the energy field. While Ichika was confused about what was going on, Laura was concerned for her fiance as she had a bad feeling about what was going on.

The audience looked on in interest and fear as they all wondered what was going to happen next and some had a feeling it was going to lead to an event worse than the Nine Ball Massacre.

A few seconds passed and a big shock wave erupted along with a blinding light, after the field came down forcing everyone to shield their eyes. When the light finally died down everyone gasped in shock as they all saw something they did not expect.

_'What the hell is this?!'_ Charles thought in shock.

_'Dominick...what did you do?' _Laura thought in worry.

_**'I hope you know what you're doing partner.' **_Seraph thought.

**To be continued...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 End.<strong>

**Cliffhanger!**

**What has Dominick done and how are things going to conclude?**

**Find out next chapter.**

**IS Nine Ball isn't dead yet people!**

**Read and review and leave whatever suggestions or opinions you got! Flames will be deleted!**


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